Kubasaki's football team is hoping to raise its first Far East Division I title trophy since 2013 and halt a run of two straight years of losing to Kadena in the season finale. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Second in a series of DODEA-Pacific high school football previews.
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – Some years, the PCS plane blesses a football team. Other times, it’s a curse.
For Kubasaki, the coming season definitely fits the latter category: Three experienced skills-positions players who helped boost the Dragons to the Far East Division I championship game a year ago departed for stateside destinations.
Thus, Kubasaki, last year’s D-I runner-up, is counting on senior Carlos Cadet, a wide receiver last season, to become Kubasaki’s starting quarterback. And the transition has been anything but easy, he said.
“I have a newfound respect for the quarterback position,” Cadet said during Wednesday’s practice. “It’s the most difficult position on the field.”
While he and coach Tony Alvarado said the departure of Caleb Stephan and brothers Trajon and Onzei Weaver leaves holes in the lineup, Cadet said it “calls for a great opportunity, to put the team on my back and lead them to a championship.”
That might be easier said than done, Alvarado said. The fourth-year coach finds himself in a position similar to the 2023 season, when he and the Dragons were flush in quarterbacks, running backs and receivers, but were seeking brawny linemen.
“We don’t have much size, so we’re going to have to use speed, quickness and knowledge,” Alvarado said.
That could mean a healthy helping of trap plays, draws, screen plays, reverses, whatever they can use to take advantage of their skill-position players’ fleet feet.
“We’re not looking to bulldoze. We’re not going to run over people,” Alvarado said. “But we play hard. We still run hard.”
Among the athletes the Dragons do have, senior Lukas Gaines should see time at fullback and linebacker. Track distance star Ryan Hater will line up at receiver as will Elijah Durnell.
“And we have 16 seniors this season, the most I’ve ever had,” Alvarado said. “There’s some good football IQ there. They understand a lot about football.”
The Dragons’ season begins as early as it ever has, with a visit to the same Kadena team that beat them 35-20 in the D-I final last Oct. 28.
And Kadena has been the Dragons’ bane the last couple of seasons, beating the Dragons in both the 2023 Far East final and the 2022 DODEA All-Japan final.
“The yardstick is Kadena,” Alvarado said. “The (road to the) title still goes through them.”
Kubasaki’s schedule includes go-rounds with four teams, one game each against Nile C. Kinnick, Humphreys and American School In Japan, bookended by away and home tilts with the Panthers.
The D-I playoffs features semifinal clashes Oct. 18, followed by the championship game Oct. 26.
Senior Carlos Cadet, left, is tabbed as Kubasaki's starting quarterback; fellow senior Lukas Gaines should see time at fullback and linebacker. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kubasaki skill positions players Mo Brown and Carlos Cadet try to knock each other off balance in a drill the team dubbed “S’il vous plank,” partly in homage to the Paris Summer Olympics. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Tony Alvarado begins his fourth season as Kubasaki's head coach. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
KUBASAKI DRAGONS
2023 season record — 4-3 overall, lost Division I final 35-20 at Kadena.
Head coach — Tony Alvarado, fourth season as head coach (has been part of Dragons program for 11 seasons).
Championships — Two D-I titles (2005, 2013).
Returning players — 11.
Returning starters — 9.
Key performers — Carlos Cadet, Sr., QB; Lukas Gaines, Sr., RB-LB; Haustin Lunsford, Sr., TB; Ryan Hater, Jr., WR; Elijah Durnell, Sr., WR; Tre Johnson, Sr., LB; Kaiser Armour, Sr., RB-LB; Jackson Nicolas, Sr., DE.
Strengths — Speed and athletic ability, mainly at the skills positions.
Drawbacks — Losing three key skills-positions players to the PCS plane, brothers Onzei and Trajon Weaver and athlete Caleb Stephan. Lack of size in the interior.
Overview — Rebuilding. Should the team master the intricacies of an offense designed around quickness and deception, the Dragons could find themselves back in the D-I football final.
Schedule
Friday, Aug. 23
Kubasaki at Kadena
Friday, Aug. 30
Kubasaki at Nile C. Kinnick
Friday, Sept. 13
Kubasaki at Humphreys
Friday, Sept. 20
American School In Japan at Kubasaki
Friday, Sept. 27
Kadena at Kubasaki
Postseason
Friday, Oct. 18
Semifinals, fourth place at first place, third place at second place, pairings and sites to be determined.
Saturday, Oct. 26
Championship, semifinal winners, pairing and site to be determined.
